Saturday, May 9, 2009

Albert Camus and Algeria

You cannot really understand Albert Camus until you understand what life was like in Colonial Algeria. His books all center on day to day life in Colonial Algeria. To understand Camus, you need to understand where he grew up. Algeria gave Camus his wings and his soul. His books were based on the day to day struggles between Arabs and Pied Noirs and if a person studying philosophy can truly study Algeria along with reading Camus, the books come alive. I never really understood the Stranger and the Plague until I went to Algeria and understood what life was like for a Pied Noir and an Arab at that time. Camus does not belong to people who live in ivory towers. He belongs to all of us..He was earthy and alive and human

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